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{
"id": 281676,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/281676/?format=api",
"text_counter": 75,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Otuoma",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports",
"speaker": {
"id": 132,
"legal_name": "Paul Nyongesa Otuoma",
"slug": "paul-otuoma"
},
"content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I expect to conclude this matter today. First of all, let me apologize to the House and to the hon. Member about the answers she got where the Chair directed that we have to answer this Question again. However, I beg to reply. (a)I am aware that there are companies that have been engaging our athletes both individually in individual sports and collectively in team sports in commercial ventures that may require the use of their images in advertisement. These ventures involve signing of contracts so that property rights of the athletes are not violated. This is easy for individual sports because the athlete plays and competes in solitude. It is a little bit more complex in case of teams where the sports men and women play as a team. In case of the team winning, the resultant gains are shared among the team. This being the case obtaining in the country, no case has been brought to the attention of my Ministry of the use of images of our sportsmen and women without financial gain to them individually or as a team. In my response to this question last week, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I admitted that a copy of unauthenticated mail going round in the social media had been brought to my attention, purporting to have originated from our top international player, Mr. Dennis Oliech, conveying his resignation from the national team, Harambee Stars. Later, on the Floor of the House, the hon. Member for Makadara, Mr. Mbuvi, tabled a signed copy of the letter from Mr. Oliech confirming that the original letter in the social media was his. I wish to categorically state that my Ministry has not received an official correspondence to that effect from Mr. Oliech nor the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) according to its chairman, Mr. Nyamweya, whom I was talking to this morning. According to the contract signed between East African Breweries Limited with Harambee Stars Management Board on 5th October, 2011 and endorsed by the Football Kenya Federation, of course, the company agreed to finance Harambee Stars to the tune of Kshs110 million spread over a period of three years. The money was to be used for salaries, allowances, accommodation, transport, both during the games and during training, purchase of uniform and training equipment. In return, East African Breweries Limited was to benefit through a number of things, including the use of images of the national team as stated in part 5.9 of the agreement. The provisions of this contract continues to be honoured by the concerned parties to the best of my knowledge and the resultant financial gains enjoyed by the teams collectively. Furthermore, in the said letter in the social media, Mr. Oliech states that he is resigning from the national team in order to concentrate on elevating the fortunes of his team, Auxerre FC, which has not been doing well lately. This too is already in the public domain. So, I do not want to over-speculate on that. I also want to state that my Ministry appreciates and values Mr. Oliech’s participation in the national team and will continue to advise and persuade him to put the national interest in front as we try to find a solution to his dissatisfaction in the contract. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in the case of Pamela Jelimo, my Ministry has also not received any complaint from her or from any authority, so far. As I had already indicated, the lead athletes normally get advice from their commercial managers or agents and that is normally done through contracts. In the case of Jelimo, as I have already stated, both Athletics Kenya and herself have not sought any assistance from my Ministry if she has issues with the commercial manager. The sports policy clearly stipulates that the commercial ventures engaged by athletes should first and foremost take the interest of athletes above other considerations. My Ministry will always try to advice the athletes as they engage to give this country glory and make commercial ventures out of their talents. I also want to inform the House that I have already talked to Football Kenya Federation (FKF). I have advised them that they need to bring Oliech and East African Breweries on the negotiating table, so that the issues that are being raised can be addressed. I am sure when the East African Breweries came into this contract, it was out of obligations to support Harambee Stars. We do not want to see anything - if there were any issues in the contract that might have been overlooked at that time - coming in- between to break up this contract and yet these are issues that we can address if we go through them one by one to know which areas they are not happy with and then we can find a solution."
}